Two Figures in Costume
1551 to 1600
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.8239
Art Historical Context
Behold *Two Figures in Costume*, a delicate etching by Dutch artist Jan van de Vel II, created sometime between 1551 and1600. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosen Collection (Department CG-E), this print captures two figures adorned in elaborate period attire, offering a glimpse into the sartorial splendor of the late Renaissance era in the Netherlands. Etching, van de Velde's favored medium, allowed for intricate lines and subtle tonal effects through acid-etched metal plates—a revolutionary technique that bridged the gap between painting and mass reproduction. As a master printmake...
About the Artist
Jan van de Velde II · 1593–1641
Jan van de Velde II (1593–1641) was one of the most accomplished Dutch printmakers and draughtsmen of the early seventeenth century, born in Haarlem into a dynasty of celebrated calligraphers and artists. His father, Jan van de Velde I, was a renowned writing master, and his cousin Willem van de Velde the Elder would later become a distinguished marine painter. Jan II studied engraving under Jacob...